Valentine's Day
by ObeseCommando
Summary: Ruby feels compelled to buy Weiss something for Valentine's Day.


Valentine's Day. Ruby had heard of it on a yearly basis as she grew up. Classmates always reminded her that it was an actual holiday when their classrooms were decorated in paper hearts and everyone was gushing about boring stuff, like who liked who.

Ruby never cared about it. She figured that romance was just something other people did for reasons unknown. She knew that there were better things to do with her time, like looking forward to a life of protecting people and slaughtering dozens of Grimm with a single swing. So how come, Ruby wondered, she was looking at a display of Valentine's Day gifts in the middle of downtown Vale?

Ruby pressed her hands against the window and looked over the rows of heart-themed merchandise. She had set out from Beacon to get away from the horrible holiday, but instead she had wandered directly into its greedy, artery-clogging core. She had to admit, chocolate was always pleasing to look at, but she couldn't quite understand why she wasn't moving on to the bookstore like she planned. Perhaps it was because Yang told her that she should break out of her shell? Ruby scoffed at the idea. She could socialize just fine without giving someone candy. And even if she did get a gift, who would she give it to? Yang made it sound like she should get a gift for someone other than her sister for once.

What if she got something for Weiss? The idea startled her, forcing her to take a step away from the window. Embarrassed by the notion, she put her hood on and walked away from the store, her feet occasionally dragging on the sidewalk. Would Weiss even like a gift from her? After all, she had been talking to Neptune, so that probably meant they were going to be dating soon. Ruby clenched her fists and kept them to her sides. The thought of the two together made her feel like she was about to puke, which had resulted in several knee-jerk Ruby trying to keep them apart whenever she was near, and she couldn't ignore the joy she had when she saw Weiss at the dance by herself.

Ruby drifted into another store, too busy thinking about Weiss to notice. She blinked and was not surprised to see that it was just like the last one: filled with reminders of Valentine's Day. Despite the fanaticism with which the holiday was marketed, the store still had plenty of items for the couples that were putting off their gift buying until the last minute. Ruby browsed around the store, eyes resting on a teddy bear holding a heart. What would Weiss like to have? Would Weiss want anything? How could someone possibly get a gift for an heiress to one of the largest corporations in the world?

Ruby scratched her head as she tried to understand how some of the gifts even made sense. They were all just variations of the same thing. Some were in baskets, others were cardboard hearts, but they were all brimming with candy. How could anyone possibly hope to show their true affections to someone else if they were all giving and receiving the same gifts? Ruby bit the inside of her cheek, turned away from the tables, and walked out of the store. Neither of the associates in the store said anything; too busy talking with each other to notice her departure.

As she walked down the road, Ruby kept her head down and tried not to think about how Weiss was most likely spending the day with Neptune. She still couldn't understand why she wanted to get Weiss a gift, or why the thought of her partner with someone else made her want to puke. She wanted to spend more time with Weiss, even if that meant becoming standoffish to someone else, but why? That was what friends did for each other, right? Ruby looked into another store window and saw more of the same gifts. While she couldn't understand _why_ she had to get Weiss something, that didn't mean she had to buy the same gift as everyone else. Ruby bit back her laughter. How could she possibly hope to get something that _wasn't_ Valentine's Day related on Valentine's Day? Ruby pouted and wondered if it would even matter what the gift was, so long as it came from her. That was the sort of advice her father would always give her whenever Ruby couldn't figure out a gift for Yang. Would that same principle carry over to other relationships? Ruby groaned. Where _was_ Yang when she needed her? Probably being swarmed with gifts from everyone in Beacon.

Ruby did not envy her sister's ability to draw a crowd, but it would have given her some information to go off of. Perhaps Blake could help? The quiet girl delved into enough romance novels to know some sort of tips, right? Emboldened by the possibility of greater enlightenment, Ruby pulled out her scroll and found Blake's number. As soon as she called, a ringtone went off behind her. Ruby turned around and saw Blake was just exiting an ice cream parlor. Blake pulled out her scroll, and Ruby saw her picture displayed on the screen.

"Hello?" Blake said.

Ruby sighed and put her scroll away. "Blake, I need your help."

Blake twitched her bow, and Ruby could imagine her teammate's confused expression as she heard Ruby even after the call had ended.

"I'm right behind you, Blake."

"Oh." Blake turned around. "Sorry. I was just a little distracted. What's up?"

"Well, this might sound a little weird, but I'm trying to think of a gift for Weiss." Ruby said, tapping her index fingers together. Hearing the words instead of just mulling them over in her head made Ruby realize how stupid they sounded. And she was supposed to be a leader for a team of Huntresses.

Instead of laughing, Blake crossed her arms and cupped her chin with one of her hands. Her amber eyes glazed over the storefronts surrounding them. "Why do you feel like you have to get her something?"

Ruby blinked, surprised that her query was taken seriously, but she blurted, "Because I feel like I should get her something to show how much I appreciate her."

Blake looked back at Ruby and said, "Go on."

Ruby sighed. Forcing her voice to not waver, she said, "It feels kind of selfish to say, but I like spending time with Weiss. She used to be so distant from the rest of us, but she's warmed up to us, and now I've seen how she really is, or at least wants to be: sort of dorky and eccentric. But she's also a loyal and caring person. It's just nice."

"So why now, of all days?"

"What?"

Blake waved a hand at all of the Valentine's Day merchandise. "If all you really wanted to do was show your appreciation, you didn't need a day dedicated to couples to do it."

Ruby lowered her head. "Well, there might be something else." Ruby took a moment to compose herself before asking, "Why do I feel strange when I see Weiss talking to Neptune?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know!" Ruby accidentally shouted. She clamped her hands over her mouth, even though Blake didn't look offended. She lowered her hands and added, "It's just a strange little thing that I don't understand and… I don't know. I feel stupid even mentioning any of this."

Blake thought over Ruby's words for a moment before looking at one of the windows by them. Then she reached out, put a hand on Ruby's shoulder, and pointed with her free hand to a small jar of candy. "Get her that one."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, her embarrassment forgotten. The jar wasn't garish like the other gifts she had seen. The only hint of the jar being made for Valentine's Day came through in the red and silver foil the chocolates were wrapped in. It was simple enough to buy in a pinch, and it would also give Ruby the opportunity for her well wishes to get through.

"I like it! Thanks, Blake!"

Blake smiled and said, "I do what I can."

The sun was setting when Ruby got back to Beacon. The usually quiet courtyard was bustling with couples that were lost in their own little worlds. Relief flooded through her veins when Ruby didn't see Weiss there, but it was quickly dispelled when she realized that, if Weiss was with Neptune, they would most likely be somewhere more private. But how could she possibly locate them without calling Weiss's scroll? Ruby bit her lip and set off from the docks. Why did Beacon have to be such a large school?

The faces of her fellow classmates turned into one nauseous blur as Ruby ran past them. She just had to make it past the courtyard and get back to the dorms. That would be the first place to look, and then she would go to the library. After that, she had no clue. Maybe the gym? The blur parted and ended with a familiar head of curly orange hair. Ruby's eyes widened and it took all of her strength and willpower to stop before running into Penny. The last thing she ever wanted to experience was running into a girl made entirely out of metal.

Penny waved, unfazed by the way Ruby was out of breath. "Hello, Ruby! Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Ruby took a moment to breathe before asking, "Penny, have you seen Weiss anywhere with anyone?"

"Oh, yes! I've seen Weiss with a lot of people today! In fact, I'm seeing you with a lot of people right now!"  
Ruby's hear had sunk, and she had almost dropped the jar before realizing that Penny had meant that Weiss had just been in the proximity of other people. There was still a chance. "Did any of them have blue hair?"

"Nope!" Penny chirped. "But I couldn't see too much, because I was being crowded by people that were giving me candies!" Ruby looked at Penny's empty hands. Her confusion was obvious, as Penny added, "I have several storage compartments. But I can give you some if you would like!" Before Ruby could speak, Penny started to unscrew her left hand.

"Whoa! No, no, that's alright!" Ruby grabbed Penny's hands. "I don't want any candy, I just ate."

Penny scanned Ruby. The redhead offered a weak chuckle and swallowed to moisten her dry throat. After a minute, Penny smiled and said, "Of course! We can have some candy another time!"

"Yes!" Ruby exclaimed. "Some other time sounds great! But can you tell me where you saw Weiss?"

"That's easy! She's right there!" Penny pointed at one of the balconies that looked over the courtyard. Ruby followed Penny's finger to see Weiss was staring right at her. The redhead felt her heart skip a beat, then she realized how she must look: standing in the middle of a couple-filled courtyard while talking to someone. It wouldn't have been so bad if Ruby hadn't been touching Penny's hand or carrying a jar of candy.

"Thanks, Penny. I'll talk to you later!" Ruby jammed the jar of candy into one of her pouches, activated her semblance and zoomed away before Penny could say anything. Once again, Ruby found herself wondering why she was acting so strange. She hoped that she didn't hurt Penny's feelings by running away so quickly, but for that moment, Weiss's feelings mattered to her much, much more. Ruby bit her lip. There was no going back now.

When she got to the balcony, Ruby was amazed to find Weiss standing by herself. The heiress had her back to her, as she was busy looking over all of the couples. Ruby took a moment to catch her breath before walking closer. When she was close enough, Ruby said, "Um, Weiss?"

The heiress jumped and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes softened when she saw who it was and she turned away from the courtyard. "Hi, Ruby."

"What are you doing alone on a day like this? Isn't it one where you're supposed to spend it with the person you like?"

Weiss smiled and looked away. "Usually."

"So where is Neptune?" Ruby asked.

Weiss tilted her head. "Why?"

"Well, because I thought you liked him." Ruby shifted her weight and forced herself to keep eye contact.

Weiss sighed. "Neptune was never really my type. And I don't think I'm his, either." She gestured toward the courtyard. Ruby followed the heiress's finger to see Neptune sitting next to Jaune on a bench. Pyhrra crouched in the bushes behind them, clutching a box of candy and crying.

"Oh. Uh." Ruby didn't know what else to say.

"Besides, I thought that he was a little boring once I got to know him. But I'm alright with spending another Valentine's Day by myself." Weiss leaned on the guardrail. Ruby leaned next to her, her heart starting to beat harder. "What about you?"

Ruby had to shake herself. "Oh, I'm not really lucky with these sorts of things. I would usually work on Crescent Rose or read until Yang came home with bags of candy, and then we would share it."

Weiss chuckled. "That sounds great."

"Yeah," Ruby said, looking at Weiss in her peripherals. "It was."

A soothing silence fell between the two partners. Sometimes it was good to share company without speaking. The buzz from the courtyard faded into white noise. A light breeze passed over them, and Weiss's ponytail brushed against Ruby's hand. The contact almost made her jump, and it reminded her of why she was there. Though she didn't really want to, Ruby said, "So I got you something."

She pulled the jar of candy out of her pouch and held it out to Weiss. The heiress looked over the jar for a second before she smiled and a blush dusted her cheeks. "Wow, thank you, Ruby." She looked away and added, "I just wish I could give you something in return."

"Oh, you don't have to do anything for me," Ruby said, waving a hand through the air as if she could disperse the very notion. She really just wanted to keep fanning herself because she was starting to heat up.

"Well," Weiss paused and bit her lip. Then she leaned forward and kissed Ruby on the cheek. "Thank you." She took the jar out of Ruby's limp hands before turning it around and pointing to a card that had been taped to the side. "But 'Will you be mine?' Not something I would expect from my partner."

Ruby scratched the back of her head and forced a chuckle. It had seemed like a good idea when Blake suggested it, but now the note sounded a little too forward. "It was all they had and I didn't want you to miss out on anything."

"Well, I like it." Weiss opened the jar and picked out one of the candies.

Ruby lowered her head and, feeling brave by the heiress's positive reaction, said, "Maybe I could… return the kiss sometime?"

"Don't worry about it; I think you've given me plenty."

Ruby raised her head. "Huh?"

Weiss hefted the jar and pointed at the candies, appropriately named "Kisses."

"You're as bad as Yang with all of your puns," Ruby groaned.

"If you're comparing me to your sister, I guess you wouldn't want me to kiss you again," Weiss pouted.

Ruby pursed her lips. "You used to not be able to joke."

"And you used to not care about Valentine's at all."

Ruby opened her mouth and promptly closed it. The heiress made a valid point. Not wanting to let Weiss have the last word, Ruby said, "Well, I didn't, but that was before I met you."

Weiss raised an eyebrow and stopped chewing. Ruby felt like her face was perfectly matching the color of her cloak. "If we're comparing each other to Yang, your pick-up lines are just as bad as the ones she uses."

Ruby put her hood on, not seeing the point in arguing against that claim. Besides, she was still reeling by what she had just said. If Weiss hadn't been joking around, and if the heiress hadn't kissed her, Ruby imagined that the heat from the embarrassment would have made her hot enough to melt through the guardrail she was leaning on. The heiress's friendly mood didn't make the comment any less mortifying.

The tip of a piece of candy pressed against her lips. The contact surprised her enough to make her open her mouth, and Weiss slipped the candy in.

"What are you thinking about that's so important?" Weiss asked.

"Uh, nothing." Ruby looked away, rolling the chocolate around her mouth with her tongue.

"Did you remember to finish your homework?"

"Uh." Her embarrassment was immediately replaced by anxiety. She had planned to do her homework after spending a few hours in town. Instead, she had gotten swept up in the spirit of Valentine's Day.

Weiss narrowed her eyes and sighed. "Sometimes I wonder how you managed to skip ahead two years." She pushed away from the guardrail. "Come on. Let's go back to the dorm and I'll help you."

Ruby nodded and followed Weiss away from the courtyard and back to their home. She had thought the day would be like any other, only with more people professing their undying love to each other. She had never expected to end the day alone with Weiss. Though they weren't going to do anything romantic, she found that her heart was beating rapidly. Ruby stepped closer to the heiress and hoped that there would be many more evenings just like it.


End file.
